


i reach out; you find my hand even in the dark

by tommyglued



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Multiverse, altho its not an au its real babey, anyway its cute n gay, because im emotional and felt like it, its like a poetic prose retelling of mcu 616 1872 3490 and avengers assemble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-26 23:23:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18726937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tommyglued/pseuds/tommyglued
Summary: Multiverse is a group of numerous universes, consisting of everything that exists: all the matter, energy and particles. No one knows how many universes there are exactly, but there is one thing you know: you find him in every universe.And you fall in love.Every single time.Multiverse. Crazy, right? You began your life thinking one universe was all there was, but you were wrong.You learned you were wrong a lot of the time.Never about him, though. It was always you and him.--in other words, steve and tony keep finding each other throughout the multiverse





	i reach out; you find my hand even in the dark

**Author's Note:**

> so this might be messy af bc im posting it at like 5am but ive had this stuck in my head for like a week so, bear w me

Multiverse is a group of numerous universes, consisting of everything that exists: all the matter, energy and particles. No one knows how many universes there are exactly, but there is one thing you know: you find him in every universe.

And you fall in love.

Every single time.

 

You keep your eyes wide open and see;

 

He is a boy with an old man’s soul. He looks young and yet his soul is battered, tired. Who wouldn’t be, with all that anger pent up for decades, aged in the ice like fine wine ? You look at him as he studies you.

He is hostile, guarded, and you spit insults at him that you don’t mean. You make up; he gives you time to read him slowly, page by page. You don’t mean to let him into your heart, his recklessness and stubbornness, his kindness and devotion - the whole package. But you do.

It’s not fairies and rainbows.

‘Cause god damn him, you are stubborn too.

 

Somewhere, you tear your heart out of your chest and slam it into his hands, shaking, gasping for air, and watch his eyes fly wide, face shifting with shock and agony.  _ Hurts, doesn’t it? Fix it now that you broke it, you stuck up piece of shit. It belonged to you anyway. _

(You still trust him, despite it all.)

 

Somewhere, he beats you up ‘cause it’s easier to fight than think. He almost kills you, and you let him. You’d let him do anything. He’s still your Steve, after all, even behind all that fury and fire. He’s the one who supported you when no one else would, who called you his home. He’s still in there, right ?

(He never hears you cough regret or scream a confession through gritted teeth, angry with both of you for not stepping back before all hell broke loose.)

 

Somewhere, you sing to him every day. Maybe it’s the alcohol, but even as he tells you he’s heard enough, he’s smiling and a little red in the cheeks. You’ve got his back, and he’s got yours.  _ Be careful _ , you beg. Even as he tells you he will be, you  _ know _ .

(Next time, it is you who forgets to be careful. He’s not there to stop you. No one sees your tears and grief behind the metal of your mobile coffin.)

 

But then

Somewhere, a wedding ring shines on your finger, a matching one on his. When you wake up, he’s on the other side of the bed. His sketchbook is full of you. As he plants a kiss on your cheek, bringing you morning coffee, you watch his carefree smile and think: you’ve never seen him this happy.

 

Somewhere, finally, you work like a team. You’ve found a common tongue, put your differences aside and learned to compromise. If you leave, you know he’ll follow. You’d do the same for him. You can’t imagine life without his snarky remarks, his warm presence, his pep talks, his reassuring embrace.

 

You can’t imagine life without him.

 

But hey, it’s okay. Wipe the tears from your face. For every time you lose him, you find him someplace else. You could be ordinary people doing ordinary things. You could also be nothing but ordinary.

 

A smile curls your lips. You close your eyes and wait.

 

***

Multiverse. Crazy, right? You began your life thinking one universe was all there was, but you were wrong.

You learned you were wrong a lot of the time.

Never about him, though. It was always you and him.

 

You close your eyes and see;

 

He is arrogant, head so far up his own ass he doesn’t seem to realize that being a genius doesn’t automatically give him authority or gain friends. At least, that is what you think until he lets you strip off all the protective layers he’s buried himself under, one by one. Until you see his smiles aren’t genuine most of the time, unless they’re for you. Until you realize he’d throw his life in a blink of an eye if it meant saving someone else.

If you loved him passionately enough, would he learn to love himself too ?

Pity you’re no good at emotions.

Pity the only way you know how to combat will as strong as yours is through fight.

 

 

 

Somewhere, you watch him almost die right in front of your eyes. He blinks them open and cracks a joke, making you laugh in relief - you didn’t know you felt this way. But you do.

(Next time you’re not so lucky. He doesn’t see you weep for him, doesn’t hear the apologies which sit on the tip of your tongue as grief clogs your throat.)

 

Somewhere, you go blind with rage. Your shield, a product of his hands, slams into his face until there is barely any skin left that isn’t bruised and bloodied.  _ Just get it over with _ , he rasps, and you snap out of it for a moment. This is the man you love, who made you feel like you belong, who taught you what tranquil meant, even for a little while. What the hell were you thinking ?

(He comes to talk and you scream at him some more. You never tell him it’s not his fault you were born with blood boiling in your veins.)

 

Somewhere, his soft voice carries through your open window. He never finishes the song before passing out, but you know how it ends. He knows you do, too. Does he know you’d do anything to keep him safe, as you stare into his pleading eyes and tell him you’ve got everything under control ?

( _ NO!, _ he screams, agonized, as you hit the ground.)

 

But then

Somewhere, you slip a ring onto his finger, he slips an identical onto yours. He’s smiling wide with nervous excitement. You can’t believe you’re the reason why he’s trembling with happiness.

 

Somewhere, you learn to dampen your fury. He is your fire extinguisher, making up for your internal chaos with his external one. You balance each other out. And then he goes missing and you’re out of your goddamn mind because you can’t imagine life without his charisma filling any space he occupied, his childlike fascination with technology , his bickering back at everything you say, his unconditional support.

 

You can’t imagine life without him.

 

But hey, it’s okay. You find him in the end. He finds you back in another universe, and another, and another. You live as many lives as it takes for you to make it right. And don’t worry, you always find him, or he finds you. That’s just how things go with you two.

 

Your lips stretch into a smile and you nod, a sincere, vulnerable look on your face. You open your eyes and wait.

 

***

In the dark, somewhere among the stars, a hand reaches out. Another hand slips into it, intertwining fingers. Steve and Tony sigh in unison. They don’t have to wait any longer.

**Author's Note:**

> tell me your thoughts !!! was it coherent ?? r there things that dont make sense to u ?? yell at me in the comments or find me on tumblr [@newtmsa](https://newtmsa.tumblr.com) !!!


End file.
